UK Food Surveillance system
The UK Food Surveillance system (UKFSS) is a national database to record results of all food and feed samples, submitted for analysis and/or examination by official control laboratories on behalf of UK local authorities and port health authorities.
Background
The project was conceived in 2001. UKFSS was initially developed by Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) in conjunction with Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and at the end of 2010 we transferred the system and future development of the system in house at the end of the HPS’ contract.
The system has now been used routinely by 29 out of the 32 local authorities in Scotland since 2005 and has been fully operational in Northern Ireland since January 2007.
Since its conception there have been many improvements to the system allowing UKFSS to standardise data capture, storage, querying and reporting functionality for the microbiological and chemical analysis of food as well as animal feed samples..
One of the major aims of this programme is that we provide a system that will help to streamline local authorities sampling work adding increased value to local authority food sampling by helping to identify trends and emerging issues, and recuse duplication of sampling.
The system is currently being rolled out in England and Wales and, as of August 2011, there are now over 60 local authorities in England and five in Wales using the database routinely for food standards sampling. Rollout to environmental health offices for microbiological sampling is also starting to develop as the Health Protection Agency (HPA) labs connect to the system.
Reports based on microbiological and chemical food sampling data from UKFSS conducted by local authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are available at the links below.
More information
More information about the UKFSS Programme and its use in local authorities can be obtained from emailing thre UKFSS Programme team:
email: standards.support@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Alternatively, for technical enquiries and user log on information, please contact the UKFSS Servicedesk on 0845 862 3561 or email Servicedesk@amicusits.co.uk.
UKFSS in Wales
FSA Wales has run five training courses in 2009-11 to enable both local authority food and feed staff to become familiar with UKFSS.
Online training is being developed for LA use and this is expected to be launched in September 2011. The two public analysts in Wales are currently able to use UKFSS- and accept and report using this tool.
Public Health Wales has three food microbiological laboratories in Wales in Cardiff, Carmarthen and Bangor. UKFSS is to be installed in Bangor by the end of 2011 and in the other two laboratories in 2012.
More information about the UKFSS Programme and its use in local authorities in Wales please contact:
Hannah Evans
tel: 02920 678926
email: Hannah.Evans@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Related links
(pdf 524KB)Find out more
UK Food Surveillance System Project Board
The Project Board includes representatives from the Association of Public Analysts (APA), the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) and the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).